Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Islamic countries to forman alliance in response to what he described as the “growing threat ofexpansionism” from Israel. He made this statement on Saturday following twodays of military strikes across the Gaza Strip that claimed the lives of atleast 61 people.
Erdogan’s remarks came after Palestinian and Turkish officials reported thekilling of a Turkish-American woman by Israeli troops. The woman wasparticipating in a protest on Friday against settlement expansion in theIsraeli-occupied West Bank. Erdogan pointed to this incident as a furtherexample of what he views as Israeli aggression.
Speaking at an Islamic schools’ association event near Istanbul, Erdogansaid, “The only step that will stop Israeli arrogance, Israeli banditry,and Israeli state terrorism is the alliance of Islamic countries.” Heemphasized that recent diplomatic efforts by Turkiye to strengthen tieswith Egypt and Syria are part of a broader initiative to build solidarityagainst this perceived expansionist threat, which he warned also endangersLebanon and Syria.
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Following the Friday incident, Israel’s military stated that it wasinvestigating reports of a foreign national woman being killed by gunfirein the area. They added that the details and circumstances of the incidentwere under review.